"Stop, Teacher Iruka. You should head back to the hospital and get some rest. Otherwise, you might end up hurting yourself worse. We have something urgent to discuss with Elder Third, so we'll take our leave first!"
Sakura put up her hand in a stop motion, then called Zabuza mentally through the Inner Space link. "Zabuza, take Teacher Iruka back for treatment. Don't let him sneak out again! Otherwise, his injuries will get worse, and that could damage your hospital's reputation!"
"Understood!"
Zabuza shot Iruka a resentful glare—he had sneaked out of the hospital again—and positioned himself behind the wheelchair. With sheer strength, he lifted both the chair and its occupant effortlessly, then strutted off ostentatiously.
Chapter 186: Grass Village Shaking in Its Boots [Part 1]
"Eh? Wait, doctor, can you please put me down?" Iruka cried anxiously. After all, he was a grown man in his thirties, and a ninja too. It was so humiliating being carried outside like this, sitting in a wheelchair!
"No way! What if you sneak out again once I put you down?" Zabuza replied sullenly. He never expected Iruka would dare escape from the hospital. Just earlier, he had checked on him, only for the patient to disappear moments later, leaving Zabuza feeling humiliated.
"Doctor, I'm already disabled. How could I possibly run off? Can't you just put me down and push my wheelchair instead?" Iruka pleaded reasonably. The Central Tower was full of Genin and Jonin team leaders, but along the long stretch between here and the hospital were risks—if students from the Ninja Academy saw him like this, what would they think of him?!
"If you couldn't run, then how did you escape from the hospital?" Zabuza huffed coldly. For a severely injured patient to flee under his care was simply the greatest humiliation for a man known as the Demon of the Hidden Mist. He planned to return and immediately have someone restrain Iruka according to mental patient standards—that should finally stop his escapes.
"Doctor, doctor, hear me out please..."
Unaware that his actions had already deeply wounded Zabuza's pride, Iruka tried to explain further, but Zabuza shut him out completely by clamping his mouth tight. His steps quickened even more, nearly jogging toward Konoha Hospital.
"Doctor, I beg you—could you give me some cloth to cover my face? If no cloth is available, maybe part of your signature bandage could work too? I don't need it wrapped entirely like yours does—just covering part of my face would be enough…"
Iruka's tearfully desperate pleas and Zabuza's firm footsteps faded into the distance together, drawing countless curious stares from passersby.
"Nah, how are Naruto and Sakura doing?" Kakashi appeared out of nowhere like a ghost, frowning slightly as he glanced at Sakura's right hand hanging low. "Since you've passed the second exam now, do you want to visit the hospital and let Haku check you?"
"Not necessary. Naruto's injuries have fully recovered. As for me…" Sakura lightly shook her right hand.
"I think I overestimated my recovery speed. The energy around the wound has mostly dissipated, but it will still take some time for me to fully recover. Although my right hand can't make big movements for now, it won't affect the exams ahead. No need to see a doctor yet — as long as traces of energy remain, Mystical Palm Technique won't work on my wounds."
The wounds across her right side looked even worse than before. Previously, only purple energy had filled the cracks in her flesh, but now, as the Power Stone's energy faded away, only a faint trace of purple remained. All that was left was torn muscle tissue. Though no blood flowed out, the ruptured muscles were still grotesque and horrifying.
"What kind of technique did you use anyway? How did you end up like this?" Kakashi gently ruffled Sakura's hair, clearly pained. Even looking at those wounds made him feel terrible — let alone what Sakura had actually endured.
"A force beyond Ninja capabilities. My body is too fragile to withstand its corruption, so this happened in the end!"
The Power Stone's energy is extremely dangerous. In Guardians of the Galaxy, even the protagonists nearly got reduced to ashes from its influence. That she survived at all — given how small she is — is honestly a miracle.
"Promise me you'll never use that kind of power again unless your life truly depends on it!" Kakashi sighed and said, "With great power always comes great danger. As your teacher, I'd rather you live ordinary lives as regular Ninjas than risk dying recklessly like this!"
"I didn't have a choice!" Sakura sighed helplessly as she made her way toward The Third's office, "When I saw Naruto stabbed through the heart, my mind just shut down — and I lost control. If I had been in my right mind at the time, I definitely wouldn't have lost control like that!"
Kakashi sighed again, staying silent with a heavy heart. If he had been strong enough as their teacher, his students wouldn't have had to fight so desperately.
"Oh, there's something important I should tell both of you," Kakashi suddenly clapped his hands together, remembering, "Shortly after you were attacked by Orochimaru, Mitarashi Anko was found unconscious inside the Forest of Death by ANBU. Since waking up, she's been acting strangely — always sitting alone silently, showing expressions filled with deep remorse."
"We should visit her when we get the chance," Sakura said. Anko must have encountered Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, but whatever he did to her drastically changed her personality — turning the once cheerful woman into someone who now cried alone at night, consumed by regret. Could it be that Orochimaru actually… violated her?!
Recalling what Anko had said during the first exam, Sakura's mind started racing with disturbing thoughts. Was it possible that Orochimaru, furious at her lies, actually turned fiction into reality? Had Anko suffered immense psychological trauma because of that?!
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